Chapter 1660 - The Soldiers
He continued: "Master Suo, it's pitch dark out there. Sending her back now would be inconvenient. Besides, we should guard against complications."
This reminded Suo Pu that if the madam returned to cause trouble after they sent her away, would he intervene or not? He said: "In that case, go collect her luggage first and bring it back here. Settle the room charges too—don't leave any loose ends."
Lin Ming readily agreed and set off with the escorts to handle everything. Suo Pu ordered that a cabin be cleared in the stern for her to rest the night. They would make further arrangements in the morning.
"Keep a close watch on her tonight," Suo Pu said quietly.
"Understood." The escort nodded knowingly.
The next day, as planned, they were to conduct their staff reconnaissance of Zhaoqing. Suo Pu instructed Lin Ming to find a reliable boat for Su Ai and send a dependable escort to take her back to Guangzhou.
But when the escort inquired among the passing vessels at the dock, not a single one was willing to take Su Ai downstream. Astounded, the escort hurried back to report to Lin Ming. Lin Ming was an old hand at such matters; after a moment's thought, he understood: the madam had backing—someone powerful who was determined to possess Su Ai.
Lin Ming was privately surprised. In Guangdong, few dared cross the Jinyiwei. Even Governor-Generals, Provincial Inspectors, and Vice-Ministers adopted an attitude of "let sleeping dogs lie" toward them—they certainly would not make enemies over a woman. As for the local rats and snakes, they were the most "sensible" of all—standing up to official "powers" was not their style.
Surprised as he was, there remained business to attend to. Fortunately, the rescue had not been his idea—otherwise, the label of "troublemaker" would have stuck to him.
He found Suo Pu and gave a brief account:
"...I'll go into the city and make inquiries with some acquaintances in the yamen," Lin Ming said. "In the meantime, I'd ask the Chiefs to exercise extra caution."
Suo Pu nodded: "Go and make your inquiries. I should think that here at the Zhaoqing prefectural dock, scoundrels wouldn't dare act openly in broad daylight. I'll have the escorts remain on high alert."
Lin Ming departed the boat and entered Zhaoqing City. He had acquaintances at both the prefectural and county yamens, and decided to start at the county office. The county was typically responsible for public order in a prefectural seat. If there was any news to be had, the constables' chief and the criminal law secretary would surely know it.
He went to the teahouse opposite the county yamen and found the head constable without difficulty.
"Lord Shi, I'm aware of this matter. I was just deliberating whether or not to come and inform you." The constable chief was surnamed He—a shriveled old man in his fifties, but with eyes that gleamed with shrewd intelligence. He reclined half-sitting, half-lying on a rattan couch, cradling a teacup in his hand. "I've long heard that Lord Shi is gallant and romantic, most fond of tender beauties. But this woman surnamed Su is past her prime—what's so special about her that you'd cross someone over her? Romantic debts are the hardest to repay!"
Lin Ming laughed: "I haven't any such notions, nor would I dare! Do you know who this Miss Su actually is?"
"Who?"
"The secondary wife of Gao Shunqin, the Imperial Censor and Inspector of Guangdong!"
Chief He held his teacup, pondering for a moment, and said: "Lord Shi, you must be joking. The Inspector's secondary wife, reduced to singing for coins at the docks? I know her background—she was the concubine of a local merchant named Liu. When did she become the Imperial Inspector's wife?"
"You know one thing but not another." Lin Ming proceeded to give a full account of the history, then added a convenient lie: "Inspector Gao showed me some kindness in the past. Though his whereabouts are now unknown, he remains a court-appointed official. With his secondary wife fallen to such a state, how could I stand by and do nothing? That would be too disloyal."
Chief He nodded: "What you say is reasonable enough. It's just that this particular deity is one you may not be able to afford to offend!" He shifted his position, and his assistant hurried over to help him up.
Lin Ming said: "What kind of deity is this, stirring up wind and rain at the docks like this? This is clearly thumbing their nose at you, Old He..."
Old He smiled: "Lord Shi, don't try to provoke me. I won't hide the truth from you either. That Jinyiwei badge of yours frightens everyone who sees it—ghosts and men alike. On this West River, upstream and down, there's no tough who wouldn't give it three parts respect—even county magistrates and prefects prefer not to tangle with your people. But this time is different—" He coughed several times and spat into the spittoon proffered by his assistant. "Someone asked me to come negotiate terms with you. Since you're already here, I can save myself a few steps..."
The other side's terms were simple: hand Su Ai over immediately.
"...They say if you surrender the woman, bygones will be bygones. They'll even gift you three hundred taels of silver as a token of friendship..."
Lin Ming said: "And if I don't hand her over?"
Chief He smiled: "They didn't specify. But to my eye, this doesn't bode well..."
"Old He, stop speaking in riddles. Just tell me straight—who is this deity? Give me the full picture! Then I can decide whether this friendship is worth cultivating."
Chief He nodded: "As the saying goes, 'A scholar meets a soldier—reason goes out the window.' We've been friends for years, so I'll tell you plainly: it's a Captain Cao."
A mere captain—in the peaceful times of a decade ago, Lin Ming would not have spared a second thought for a general or a regional commander, let alone an ordinary garrison officer. Officers did not carry much weight. But in recent years, with uprisings erupting everywhere and the Miao, Yao, and other tribes of Liang-Guang frequently rebelling and rioting, the once-lowly military had become the object of flattery and reliance by local officials. Gradually, they grew arrogant and domineering. With pay and provisions in chronic short supply, there was no means to enforce military discipline. Since the end of the Tianqi reign, cases of soldiers rioting, beating, and even killing court officials had become commonplace. The civilians involved were often severely punished, but the officers rarely faced serious consequences.
Lin Ming knew that if a clash did erupt, Xiong Wencai would certainly dump all the blame on him. Setting aside questions of loyalty, even a single accusation of "inciting mutiny in the ranks" reaching the capital would spell disaster. And if it came to a head-on fight, the soldiers were local military—one shout and they would muster dozens of men. His own side numbered only a dozen or so. The odds were clearly against them.
Seeing the hesitation on his face, Chief He said: "Lord Shi, you're a man of honor, a true friend, a fine fellow. But as the old saying goes: 'A wise man doesn't fight a hopeless battle.' These soldiers are no good lot. Cao in particular is a vicious piece of work. Remember Old Ding, who used to run the docks? Tough fellow, wasn't he? His whole household, over forty souls, was wiped out in a midnight raid by Cao and his soldiers—butchered to the last man. When it was done, none of his hundreds of underlings dared breathe a single word..."
"Governor Xiong said nothing about this?" Lin Ming frowned. "I never imagined Zhaoqing had deteriorated to this extent!"
"Times have changed. Ever since Governor Wang got his forces wiped out on Hainan Island, Governor Xiong has been depending on this handful of troops to fight and die for him. He's just a scholar—short on grain and behind on pay—what leverage does he have to win over these soldiers? If he dared utter even two words about 'military discipline,' his subordinates would stir up a mutiny and his seat as Governor-General wouldn't stay warm for long..."
"Let me go back and think it over." Lin Ming found himself in a bind. He was not a man of principle—in ordinary times, he would have handed over the woman and pocketed the silver without a second thought. But rescuing Su Ai had been the Australians' idea; he could not decide on his own. And knowing the Australians' temperament, they probably would refuse to hand her over. If he painted the situation as too dire, he feared Suo Pu and the others might suspect him of exaggerating to serve his own ends.
"Go think it over," Chief He cleared his throat. "Captain Cao says: if the woman isn't returned to the temple by first drum tonight, he'll have no choice but to bring his brothers to fetch her himself. After dark, the city gates will be closed—no need to trouble the officials inside..."
Lin Ming returned to the boat and quickly sent the escorts to locate Suo Pu and the others. But they had gone somewhere unknown. The escorts searched all day without finding them. By the time they returned, it was already dusk. Lin Ming hastily relayed what he had learned:
"...The two Chiefs may not be aware: right now, the soldiers are the most truculent force around. Counting on the authorities is probably hopeless. We need to decide on a plan quickly." He glanced at the darkening sky. "There's not much time remaining before first drum."
Kang Mingsi sneered: "Good—let them come. Let them taste what a machine gun feels like..."
"Machine guns would make quick work of it, but our staff reconnaissance would be finished," Suo Pu said, rubbing his chin with a wry smile. "It seems that even charity work cannot be done carelessly."
Kang Mingsi's expression grew awkward—after all, he had started the whole affair. He said: "How about I take a pistol and go meet this Captain Cao? One shot and he's dead."
"I'm afraid this Captain Cao won't be so easy to meet. And certainly, you could shoot him dead easily enough. But when his comrades rise up in fury, we'll still need the machine gun to break through. The trip will be ruined just the same..."
From a cost-benefit perspective, handing over Su Ai was clearly the optimal choice. Not only could the staff reconnaissance continue, but they would also gain three hundred taels of silver for free. Su Ai was of no practical use to them: she was neither an important intelligence source nor a key figure. It was pitiful that she had fallen into this life, but the world was full of women far more pitiful than her—and the Council of Elders could not possibly save them all.
Yet this was simply not something he could bring himself to do. It was not merely a matter of morality, Suo Pu reflected. He knew the Council of Elders' group mentality well enough: anything could be done, except things that caused them to "lose face." The Council possessed a glass heart. If he decided now to hand over the woman, though rationalists might call it the optimal choice for maximizing gain, the "majority" would certainly tear him apart.
But simply abandoning the staff reconnaissance was more than Suo Pu could accept. While he remained torn, a growing commotion suddenly arose outside. An escort poked his head in, his face tense: "Sirs, a crowd of men has arrived at the dock. It doesn't look like they come in peace."
Lin Ming's heart clenched. He said quickly: "Don't act rashly—I'll go out and negotiate with them!"
With the crisis upon him, Suo Pu's mind became suddenly clear. He said: "What's there to negotiate? Whether to hand Su Ai over?" He waved his hand decisively. "Open the crates! Get the machine gun! Gunner to the stern. Prepare for suppressing fire!"
(End of Chapter)